What I Didn't Say

I really don't have any reasonable reason to have not enjoyed this book. But something about it just didn't click with me.

It could be that is was so granola and at times unrealistic. Most teenagers do not act that way. Some of the situations made them seem completely naive while others contradicted their earlier thoughts.

I mean, it's completely unusual for a guy to let their friends make moves on their sisters. Especially if you know your friends are kinda creeps with girls. If any of you have brothers, you know what I'm talking about.

Jake and his siblings relationships was kinda strange to me. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but it just seemed unusual. That entire family really. They were super close and so. damn. nice. All the time.

Anyways, other than that, the book was actual pretty interesting. Jake's situation was unique and I enjoyed getting inside his head. Sam's situations was sad and at times I really felt for her. Although her story line just kinda came and went without much of an afterthought.

The ending was sweet and enjoyable.

This book wasn't the fluffy chick lit you think it would be, but it isn't quite as deep as you think it would be either. It's a mixture of both, not really straying too far to either side of the line. Over all, it was a pretty good read.

Plot: When you really think about it, this is a pretty overdone plot idea. There's one major thing keeping them apart, like most romances, but this is that Jake can't talk. It's a very different issue than most books, but when you get down to it, it is very similar to many other YA books.

I did like Sam's situation. Though I didn't think it was done as well as it could have been, I really liked her story line. It kind of just fizzled out and dropped off, which disappointed me.

There were a few different back stories that just kind of fizzled out. I wished River's secret would have played out to more.

I found it really funny how they were all crushing on their friend's sister. Rain liked Jordan (Jake's little sister) and Carter liked River (Rain's twin sister).

Characters: This book has some of the best characters ever.

Jake Hayes. There's a few points where he begins to wallow in self pity, but let's be honest. He's the major crush worthy guy most girls wished pined after them like he does Sam. I had an instant connection with Jake on page one, as soon as I read the countdown to the Air Force part. My best friend wants to go into the Air Force and is off flying a plane all the time. So the fact that I could see him in Jake made me relate to Jake before I had even started reading.

I also like how honest his narration was. He wasn't like "Oh, the trailer was beautiful just because it was Sam's". No, sir. "The trailer was crap" was more his style. I like that he didn't sugar coat things.

Now, I can relate even more to Sam. I'm at the top of my class currently and sometimes school work doesn't leave me much time for other people. I like how strong she was, never asking anyone for help, although it wasn't the smartest thing.

Carter and Rain were pretty cool. They never really talked about the accident, but they're guys, so who knows? I loved Jake's family. They reminded me of the Duggar's with a bunch of kids who's names all start with the same letter.

Norah just bothered me throughout the entire book and her and Jake at the party. UGH. But that's what she's supposed to do, right?

Overall: I really liked how it was a romance book without being mushy. The characters were amazing. It was definitely worth digging out my old eReader to read.

Wow, I am on a roll with good contemporaries this month. This one is really an eye opener about being grateful for what you have, especially a loving family, because no matter how bad things might be for you, there is someone else who wishes that they had your life.
It was quite a ride to be in Jake's head. It has so be so frustrating to all of the sudden be mute, and have things you want to say, but can't. Sure he can write things down, but I honestly can't imagine.
The dynamic between Jake and Sam was so very well written. I loved their interactions, and often wondered about Samantha's motivations, and when I found out, it was totally heartbreaking and unexpected. As much as I can't imagine being in Jake's shoes, hers is so unthinkable. The sweetest part of the story is really watching them lift each other up, and seeing their selflessness (for the most part anyways) when it comes to the other.
The connection with Jake and his family is really well written. I could totally see myself wanting to call his mom "mom" right along with the rest of the island. His brothers and sisters showed such support while at the same time being realistic, teasing, joking and sometimes too much in his business.
It was also neat to read about the Island culture, small town and even more. I think that she did a good job explaining how it was different, and showing the sense of togetherness while still having it believable.
I liked the ending, how it tied things together, and I can't really think of how I'd want their story to end any differently.

You know those books that come along and at first they seem okay and maybe sort of hoakie and then the ending is just perfect? This is one of those books. After the first couple of chapters I had decided that it was just okay, but by the second half of the book I couldn't get enough. Jake is happy, popular and in love with Sam Shay. The only problem is, he doesn't have the guts to tell her that. After a night of drunken shenanigans he is involved in a horrific accident that causes him to lose his vocal cords and, almost, his life. Smart, kind, Samantha volunteers to help Jake learn sign language and before too long they don't need words. As Jake learns more about Sam's life, he realizes that maybe other people have it worse than him. Throw in a cast of goofy classmates and a huge, loving family and you have What I Didn't Say.


LIKES:
Samantha: Samantha is the quintessential good girl, but even she has secrets. She is smart, kind and a super overachiever. She seems pretty perfect and Jake certainly thinks so. We find out pretty early in the book, however, that Sam's life is anything but perfect. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that I don't think I could deal with what Sam has to go through. And through it all she proves to be strong and capable while maintaining her caring and compassionate nature. Sam is the type of person that we all aspire to be and it's so hard to read this book without wanting to just give her a big hug. She definitely needs one. Despite having huge problems of her own, she wants to help Jake and she works hard to do so. Their relationship and connection is really amazing and watching that relationship grow and change was just spectacular.
Jake's Family: Jake has a HUGE family. There are seven kids and his parents, I would live in the yard if there were that many people living in my house. But even though it's crowded, there's also plenty of love to go around. These people, even the younger kids, are so supportive it's crazy. My brother and sister and I fight daily over who has to let the dogs out, but Jake's family is like a big puppy pile of domestic bliss (not that they don't have any fun together of course). And his mom, oh my god. She is super mom, she's constantly feeding everyone and having get togethers for the island kids and she's still slightly intimidating, which I think every mom should be. The family relationships were really nice to see and it added a lot of fun and quirkiness to the story.
The Ending! (no spoilers, I promise): I LOVED the ending. You know how when you're reading a book, you have an idea of the perfect ending, exactly how you would want it to happen in real life? Well, without giving anything away, this one hit all the right marks. I actually yelled "YES!" at one point during the last chapter, that is how happy it made me. This is the type of ending I wish all contemporaries had. I just had a big goofy smile on my face all day.

DISLIKES:

Angelic teenagers (sort of): The kids in the book could be somewhat unbelievable sometimes. They were just too well behaved. Well, kind of. There were other things about these kids that made the idea that they were so well behaved really unbelievable. First there's Jake, who won't swear because his mom ingrained it in him that swearing was bad, but will get trashed at a party and then let his drunk friend drive him around. Really? So you won't drop the f-bomb but you'll let Drunky McLush-pants drive you home? Seriously? Sorry but I find that a little difficult to wrap my head around. A good expletive never killed anyone. And it isn't just Jake. He explains how there are lots of island parties with red plastic cups and "glass pipes" (wonder what those are for) but these same kids sign a pledge after his accident that they won't drink anymore. I just don't buy that.
Ask for help, already! : Something that has always annoyed me in young adult books and movies is when someone is in real trouble, trouble that a parent could help get them out of and they refuse to ask for help. This usually ends up causing all sorts of problems and then the parent steps in anyway and helps out and all is well. Can't we just cut out the middle and save ourselves the stress? Samantha has some pretty sizable issues that she needs to figure out and I couldn't help but think that if Jake just went to his parents they could have helped her. I suppose we wouldn't really have a book then though.
Predictability: There were some aspects of the story-line (especially in the first half of the book) that were just very predictable. Luckily the second half more than made up for that.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves realistic romance, drama and happy endings. This story will stick with me for a long time and I'll have a hard time not comparing other contemporaries to this one.